USWNT vs. Spain: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2022 Friendly

The United States women's national team will try to bounce back from a loss for the first time in 2022 when they face Spain on Tuesday afternoon.

The Americans are coming off a 2-1 defeat at the hands of England in a game that was marred by some questionable calls.

Vlatko Andonovski's side still put up a good fight at Wembley Stadium and it should head to Pamplona, Spain, with some confidence despite the defeat.

Spain is the eighth-placed team in the FIFA Women's World Rankings, but it will not have some of its top players available for Tuesday's friendly.

Fifteen players threatened to quit the Spanish national team in September unless head coach Jorge Vilda was removed from his post. They said the 41-year-old should step down because his management was causing them to suffer mental health issues.

The Spanish roster for Tuesday's friendly is full of players with little international experience. In addition to the 15 who made themselves unavailable for selection, Alexia Putellas is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in July.

The USWNT should come away with a win because of the gap in quality between themselves and the Spanish reserves. The Americans are looking for their 14th victory of 2022.

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USWNT vs. Spain Info

Date: Tuesday, October 11

Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

Live Stream: ESPN.com and ESPN app

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United States Should Defeat Weaker Spanish Side

Spain will be without some of its most experienced players because they withdrew from the squad due to the situation with Vilda.

The Spanish federation has refused to fire the coach, and it has led to the program fielding a significantly weaker squad than it would have for its friendly against the top-ranked side in the world.

Spain has seven players on its roster with more than 10 international appearances. Esther Gonzalez, who plays for Real Madrid, is the most dangerous player on the roster. She has 19 international goals.

Spain was still competitive in its first friendly of the international window, a 1-1 tie with Sweden, but the step up in quality could be too much.

The USWNT fell by a 2-1 margin against England, but it created plenty of chances in what may go down as the best game in women's soccer this year.

The Americans are using their two-game European swing to test themselves ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Sophia Smith, who should be a fixture up top at the World Cup, again scored for the Americans at Wembley.

The Portland Thorns forward has been on a tear in front of the net, and she will be one of the biggest threats to the Spanish defense on Tuesday night.

Smith was one of five USWNT players to play the full game in London. Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Alana Cook and Alyssa Naeher were the others.

Andonovski could rotate the squad a bit, especially in midfield, to give opportunities to players fighting to either break into the starting XI at the World Cup or attempting to confirm their spots on the roster.

Whichever players the U.S. coach puts on the field should create problems for the weakened Spanish side.

At full strength, Spain would have been a great opponent for the USWNT, but the injury to Putellas and the withdrawal of the 15 players could limit how much the European side challenges the North American champion.

Tuesday will be the third-to-last match of a busy 2022 for the Americans. They finish the year with two friendlies against Germany on home soil on November 10 and 13.

Prediction: United States 3, Spain 1.